1. `Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to an easy-opening container component with a wall section having means imparting a predefined and selectively weakened, fracturable zone therein, which, in response to manual or digitally applied force, is conveniently fracturable to provide an outlet opening communicating with the contents of the container with which the container component is associated.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
The convenience afforded by easy-opening containers has led to their great popularity and widespread use for packaging a wide variety of both pressurized and non-pressurized products. This widespread usage not only includes an extensive variety of packaged products, but also various types of containers such as metal and composite cans, bottles, jars and various other types of containers. For example, it is common practice to provide metal and composite cans with end closures having a pull tab, or ring, securely attached to a score integral section of the end closure so that the scored section may be manually removed by grasping the tab, or ring, and tearing out the scored section to completely remove it from the end of the can and provide a pour-out opening. To similarly accommodate easy manual opening of bottles and jars, various forms of easy-opening closures also have been employed. To some extent, closures having generally similar types of removable tear strips and pull tabs as those commonly used for easy-opening can ends have been employed. More commonly, however, twist-off caps have been utilized, particularly for bottles destined for use in packaging carbonated beverages.
While such easy-opening containers and closures are popular and desirable from a convenience aspect their widespread use has given rise to assorted problems attending careless disposal of the removed tear strips and caps. All too frequently, such tear strips and caps are imprudently and indiscrimately discarded on the ground, along roadways and walkways, and particularly in public areas such as resorts, campsites, beaches and the like. The resulting litter is not only a nuisance and eyesore, and thus objectionable from an ecology standpoint, but constitutes a hazardous potential source of human injury. The sharp raw edges on the discarded tear strips and the sharp rims on the twist-off caps pose a danger of bodily laceration, especially to barefooted persons.
As a consequence of the littering problems, the packaging industry has directed considerable efforts towards retaining the convenience features associated with easy-opening containers while at the same time seeking ways to obviate the attendant litter problems. As an outgrowth of these efforts, various types of easy-opening structures have been devised which feature a scored segment which fractures in response to manual depression and after fracture is manually displaceable into the interior confines of the container. Ordinarily, these manually depressible, or push-in, types of easy-opening structures include an unscored region which is designed to withstand fracture and function as a hinge to retain the depressed, or pushed-in, segment integrally attached to the wall section surrounding the resultant opening in the container or closure. As thus designed, the pushed-in segment is intended to be discarded with and remain within the non-exposed confines of the container. However, in many of the push-in types of easy-opening container structures there is a potential danger of finger laceration resulting from finger contact with the residual, sharp raw edges remaining on either, or both, the pushed-in segment and the wall section from which it was separated. Moreover, there is an attendant and persistent danger in many of the push-in types of easy-opening structures that the hinge area may accidentally fail and permit the pushed-in segment to fall into the container and be inadvertently ingested during consumption of the container's contents.
Moreover, even though the manually depressible, or push-in, types of easy-opening container structures essentially avoid the tear-tab litter problem, many of the push-in types share problems and undesirable features also associated with the removable pull-tab types. Among others, containers and closures which employ scored segments frequently, upon removal of the tear-out segment, or depression of the push-in segment, leave a sharp, residual, raw edge bordering the separated segment as well as the pour-out opening. These residual raw edges are a potential source of injury during handling of the container or the consumption of its contents. Additionally, the scored region which, of course, is intentionally weakened to accommodate easy manual opening of the container, or closure, is susceptible to rupture or fracture resulting from exterior forces or stresses encountered during packaging, handling, shipping and storage. Similar susceptibility to rupture or fracture exists from interior forces or stresses exerted from within the container. Such interior forces or stresses are common with containers for packaging products which are heat pasteurized, sterilized or cooked after packaging, as well as products which are carbonated, such as carbonated beverages, or otherwise packaged in a pressurized environment within the container. On the other hand, in order to withstand the rigors of transport, handling, stacking, storage, interior pressures and other assorted sources of stress, many so-called "easy-opening" containers and closures, especially those used in packaging pressurized contents, are relatively difficult to open manually without the assistance of an accessory tool or implement. In many instances, such tools or implements are furnished securely affixed to the container. However, the inclusion of such tools or implements, of course, adds significantly to manufacturing costs, and oftentimes interferes with the handling of shelf-stacking capabilities of the container by the retailer and the consumer.
Thus, a definite need exists for providing an easy-opening structure which is capable of obviating, or substantially alleviating, the difficulties and problems associated with both the pull-tab and the push-in types of prior art easy-opening container and closure structures.